EX-SAGES COACH IN TITLE GAMES

ZVONAR, VENERABLE STILL WINNERS
I spent about six hours Saturday watching IHSA state football finals on TV. I must admit I had two TV sets going Saturday night when the Illini basketball team game coincided with one of the football games. I normally do not watch these championship games. However, this year was different. Men, of whom I think highly, coached two of the teams.
Lincoln Way East won the class 8A football title with an overtime win Saturday over Maine South. Earlier in the day, Normal Community lost 14-9 to Morris in the Class 6A title game. Former Sage, Rob Zvonar, coached East to the title in the largest of the IHSA school classes. Hud Venerable, who had a very successful 5-year career as the Sages head coach, is the mentor at Normal Community.
The success of Zvonar and Venerable is not surprising. Venerable’s teams won 40 consecutive regular season games here at Monticello. Had it not been for facing powerful Belleville Althoff, a couple of his Sage teams might have been in state championship games.
Venerable came to Monticello in 1988. He had an uncanny knack for recognizing the talent of each player. He seemed to get the most out of everyone and his teams had an air of excitement that didn’t go unnoticed. Many adults, whose interest in football had waned, suddenly found themselves again loyal Sage fans. I have watched Okaw Valley football for 46 years and “Hud’s teams” were my favorites.
Zvonar was the middle linebacker on the 1988 team. After going 3-6 the year before, Venerable’s first team was 11-1. I recall Zvonar making many vicious tackles that could be heard as far away as the press box. He went to Illinois Wesleyan and was a standout on their football team.
Zvonar was an assistant at Lincoln Way when five years ago the school split. He was named the head coach of the new school.
I recall him as a high school student who seemed mature for his age. He seemed to have a direction in life. I would have predicted that he would have been successful.
Many times during the summers, I stopped and talked football with Coach Venerable as we sat on his front porch on Marion Street. He was always interested in what others thought. He didn’t learn much from me, but he seemed to enjoy hearing my opinions. He seemed very humble for a man so popular in a small community.
Both men were named Chicago Bears “Coach of the Week” during this past season. It was a great week for two of Monticello Sage fans all-time favorites. When the Boosters Club begins picking members for the new Monticello Sages Sports Hall of Fame, Zvonar and Venerable most surely will be among the nominees